Borman Departure Clears Decks

There were innovative approaches to employee relations. But they didn`t solve the company`s financial problems and did alienate thousands of union members.

There was aggressive management that modernized the Eastern fleet but left the airline with the industry`s heaviest debt, $2.5 billion.

Borman guided Eastern into the difficult deregulation years and, while many carriers took a beating, EAL suffered more than most of its major competitors. There were tireless negotiations with creditors as Borman fought to keep the company operating. But in the end, all that stood between Eastern and bankruptcy was its sale to Frank Lorenzo`s Texas Air empire.

So ``The Colonel`` leaves with mixed reviews.

When he joined the airline in 1970, after a distinguished career in the Air Force and as an Apollo astronaut, all of the notices were good. He rose quickly through the ranks, being named president in 1975 and chairman in 1976.

As the most visible airline executive in the world, he was in the forefront of every facet of Eastern`s operation, from television commercials to labor negotiations.

Those negotiations became increasingly abrasive over the last four years as Borman, under pressure from uneasy lenders, demanded concessions from pilots, flight attendants and machinists.

His eyeball-to-eyeball confrontations with Charles Bryan, chief of the machinists, sapped his leadership credibility and were the last straw added to the burden that brought on the merger with Texas Air.

With Lorenzo aboard, Borman`s departure came as no surprise. Thrones don`t come in loveseat sizes.

Now the decks are cleared. The focal point of employee dissatisfaction has resigned. The company has a long way to go before bankers will look on it as a financially sound operation. Lorenzo is a businessman. A very tough and successful one.

Five years from now his reviews also could be mixed. Eastern may be a profitable airline. And its 40,000 employees may look back on the Borman era as the good old days.